Chapter 45

"Lord, Lord Ou Feng requests an audience."

At this, a guard reported to Liu Yao.

"Oh, Ou Feng has come. Quickly, invite him in," Liu Yao called out. Over the years, Ou Feng had been working tirelessly to create what Liu Yao needed, and now that he had come, it must mean he had completed the task given to him.

Not long after, Ou Feng walked in with a smile on his face. "I pay my respects, Lord."

Liu Yao, filled with joy, asked, "Elder Ou, have the armors been completed?"

"Lord, I have not let you down. I have completed the task within the deadline," Ou Feng replied.

"Elder Ou, these past two years have been tough on you," Liu Yao said, looking at Ou Feng, who had visibly lost weight, with deep emotion.

"It was no hardship, Lord. It is an honor for me to create such powerful weapons. How could it be a hardship?" Ou Feng smiled, revealing his teeth. After all, the weapons he had created would surely make him famous for generations to come, perhaps even allowing him to catch up with his ancestor, Ou Yezi.

"Since that's the case, Elder Ou, would you like to accompany me to the military camp?" Liu Yao asked.

"I dare not refuse," Ou Feng replied with a bow.

In the military camp of Jixian County, as soon as Liu Yao and Ou Feng approached, they were greeted by a deafening roar. The sight of 20,000 men training simultaneously was truly spectacular.

"Gao Shun (Yun) pays respects to Lord," Gao Shun and Zhao Yun came forward to greet Liu Yao as soon as they saw him.

"Rise," Liu Yao waved his hand casually and asked, "Zilong, Gongxiao, how is the training of the Xianyang Camp and the Charge Camp going?"

"Lord, your training plan seemed a bit frivolous at first glance, but it has proven to be highly effective over the years. Moreover, the soldiers practice the Five Animals Exercise every day. Now, they can easily carry a load of 60 to 70 catties and march over 20 miles without any difficulty," Gao Shun reported.

"Lord, the soldiers in my Charge Camp have become elite horsemen after two years of training. Their horses are the best from Youzhou, with great endurance and speed," Zhao Yun also reported.

"Excellent!!!" Liu Yao said, satisfied. He then stepped forward and shouted to the 20,000 neatly lined up soldiers, "Soldiers, do you know who I am?"

"Lord of the State!!!!" they all shouted in unison, their voices filled with excitement and gratitude. The treatment of the soldiers in the Xianyang Camp and the Charge Camp was far better than that of ordinary soldiers. Not only did they have meat every day during training, but their pay was three times that of ordinary Youzhou soldiers, and their families were exempt from taxes for three years. To them, Liu Yao was a god-like figure.

"These past years, I know you have trained hard. But remember, the more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war. Your efforts will not be in vain. Now, I officially grant you the titles of the Charge Camp and the Xianyang Camp. I hope you will not disgrace these titles," Liu Yao announced loudly.

"Thank you, Lord," they all shouted again, some even shedding tears of emotion. After such rigorous training for two years, it was all worth it. Even a single word of praise from Liu Yao was enough.

Liu Yao looked at the soldiers below with satisfaction and said loudly, "Next, you will receive special equipment for your camps. In the next three months, I want you to become proficient in using them. After three months, there will be a time when you will need to use them. Tell me, can you do it?"

"We can do it!!!!" they shouted in excitement. They had trained for so long, and now it was time to show their prowess to the world. Their morale was at its peak, and the swords were ready to be unsheathed.

Liu Yao nodded in satisfaction. "Zilong, Gongxiao, I believe you are familiar with the use of the陌刀 (mòdāo) and the cavalry spear. In the next three months, I want them to not only be proficient in using these weapons but also to develop a set of tactics."

"We will do it, Lord," Gao Shun and Zhao Yun said firmly.

The equipment crafted by Ou Feng was quickly transported to the military camp and distributed. As for the familiarization training, Gao Shun and Zhao Yun were responsible, so Liu Yao did not need to worry about it.

Two months passed in a flash, and it was now March of 184 AD. The curtain of the Yellow Turban Rebellion was about to be raised.

"Lord, Lord," Ju Shou's urgent voice reached Liu Yao's ears.

Liu Yao turned around and saw Ju Shou running towards him, holding a piece of intelligence.

Seeing Ju Shou's anxious expression, Liu Yao knew something significant had happened. At this time, the only major event could be the Yellow Turbans.

"Guangyu, are you in such a hurry because the Yellow Turbans have made a move?" Liu Yao asked.

Ju Shou was startled. "Lord, your foresight is truly divine. When you said there would be great turmoil in March this year, I did not believe it, but now I have no choice but to believe. We have been closely monitoring the Yellow Turban movement, and now it has been confirmed that they have ulterior motives."

"Indeed, it has come," Liu Yao thought. "Guangyu, tell me everything."

"Since Lord ordered us to monitor the Yellow Turbans, our secret agents have been closely watching their movements. However, the Yellow Turbans have already formed a large force, and we could not infiltrate their upper ranks to obtain any confidential information. It was only recently, due to the epidemic in January, that the Yellow Turbans began to recruit more followers and spread the rumor, 'The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise, the year is Jiazi, the world will be at peace.' They also instructed their followers to write 'Jiazi' on their doors with white soil, thus exposing their treacherous intentions," Ju Shou explained.

"Is that so? It seems the Yellow Turban Rebellion is about to begin," Liu Yao thought. "Guangyu, issue the order to fully accept refugees. This is a great opportunity to increase the population of Youzhou."

"Understood," Ju Shou replied.

On that day, the Han court received a shocking piece of news. Tang Zhou, a trusted disciple of the Great Virtuous Teacher Zhang Jue, submitted a report to the Han court, accusing Zhang Jue of plotting rebellion. It was also revealed that there were Yellow Turban sympathizers among the Ten Attendants. This caused a storm in Luoyang.

Emperor Liu Hong was well aware of the Yellow Turbans' situation. Without his tacit approval, the Yellow Turbans could not have grown to their current size. However, he was enraged to learn that there were Yellow Turban sympathizers among the Ten Attendants. The Ten Attendants were the people he trusted the most, besides Liu Yao. Now, even they had turned against him. Liu Hong immediately ordered the arrest of all Yellow Turban sympathizers in Luoyang.

Based on Tang Zhou's intelligence, Liu Hong captured Ma Yuanyi, the leader of the Yellow Turban uprising in the Sili region, and also arrested the eunuchs Feng Xu and Xu Feng, who were Yellow Turban sympathizers among the Ten Attendants. Over a thousand Yellow Turbans in Luoyang were executed. In his rage, Liu Hong had Ma Yuanyi, Feng Xu, and Xu Feng torn apart by chariots in the Western Market. This news reached Zhang Jue in Ji Province.

Upon receiving the news, the Yellow Turbans knew that the court had begun to move against them. With no other choice, they had to launch their rebellion early.

Thus, the Great Virtuous Teacher Zhang Jue, calling himself the General of Heaven, rose in rebellion in Julu. His two brothers, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, called themselves the General of Man and the General of Earth, respectively. They killed the Inspector of Ji Province and all the officials in Yizhou who had not already joined the Yellow Turbans. They seized control of Ji Province and responded to Zhang Jue. The Yellow Turbans had a presence in seven provinces of the Han Empire: Qing, Xu, Ji, Jing, Yang, Yan, and Yu, and their influence was vast!